Evidence for a Priori Existence of Attentional Bias Subgroups in Emotional Processing of Aversive Stimuli.

Casper H Van Heck,Clementina M Van Rijn,Joukje M Oosterman,Marijtje L A Jongsma,Kim M A De Kleijn

doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00087

Casper H Van Heck, Clementina M Van Rijn + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00087

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Abstract

Little is known regarding inter-individual differences in attentional biases for pain-related information; more knowledge is crucial, since these biases have been associated with differences in pain processing as well as in predicting the risk of postoperative pain. The present study investigated EEG correlates of attentional bias patterns for pain-related information, with specific focus on avoidance- and vigilance-like behavior. Forty-one participants performed a dot-probe task, where neutral and pain-related words were used to create neutral, congruent, incongruent, and double (two pain-related words) trials. EEG was recorded, which was used to generate ERP's of the word-processing phase and the post-dot phase. Participants were placed in two subgroups based on the direction of their attentional bias (either positive; toward the pain-related words, or negative; away from pain-related words). Using t-profiles, four latency windows were identified on which the two subgroups differed significantly. These latency windows yield areas which correspond with the P1-N1 domain and the P3b for the word-processing phase, while the post-dot phase latency windows cover the areas of the P200 and the P3b. The two subgroups show differences on congruent, incongruent, and the double trials, but interestingly also on the neutral trials. Most notably, the area in the word-phase associated with the P3b is diminished in the subgroup showing a negative bias. The deflections associated with both early and late attentional components, including the P3B, as well as a positive deflection in the timeframe of proposed response evaluation processes differ significantly between subgroups. In this study we demonstrated that different attentional biases exist in the healthy population, by showing differences in ERP's. We also show differences in processing neutral trials, which suggests there are fundamental differences between these groups in processing words in general.

Highlights

Nociceptive stimuli are amongst the most prominent and reliable aversive stimuli
The present study investigated EEG correlates of attentional bias patterns for pain-related information, with specific focus on avoidance- and vigilance-like behavior
In this study we demonstrated that different attentional biases exist in the healthy population, by showing differences in Event-Related Potential (ERP)’s

Summary

Introduction

Nociceptive stimuli are amongst the most prominent and reliable aversive stimuli. As these stimuli alert us to an actual or potential (perceived) immediate threat, they are capable of rigorously directing and manipulating attention (Keogh et al, 2001b; Keogh and Cochrane, 2002; Dittmar et al, 2011).individuals have been observed to have attentional biases toward or away from pain and pain-related information. It has been demonstrated that these attentional biases can affect pain sensitivity and augment pain-related behaviors, and both avoidance and hypervigilance have been linked to the processing of pain-related information (Koyama et al, 2005; Hakamata et al, 2010; Schoth et al, 2012; Herbert et al, 2013). These two different attentional biases have clinically relevant implications. Individual differences in both avoidance-like behavior as well as hypervigilant behavior have been shown to be valid predictors of postoperative pain (Goodin et al, 2009; Lautenbacher et al, 2009, 2010, 2011; Pulvers and Hood, 2013; Grosen et al, 2014; Wong et al, 2014)

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